The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved licences for two more international satellite internet service providers, BeetleSat-1 and Satelio IoT Services, in a move aimed at improving satellite-based internet access and increasing competition in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
The licences, which will run for seven years from February 28, 2026 to February 28, 2033, are intended to support the expansion of satellite broadband services and align Nigeria’s market with internationally accepted standards.
This development highlights the challenges faced by terrestrial networks, especially as over 23 million Nigerians live in unserved or underserved locations and mobile broadband penetration stood at 50.58 per cent as of November 2025.
BeetleSat-1, operated by NSLComm, is an international venture with a multinational corporate structure and is currently developing a Low Earth Orbit constellation consisting of 264 satellites.
The planned network is designed to deliver high-capacity, low-latency satellite internet, cellular backhaul, and mobility services on a global scale.
In 2021, the company entered into a strategic partnership with Spanish technology firm Arquimea, which has since become BeetleSat’s largest shareholder and primary industrial partner.
The NCC issued BeetleSat a Ka-Band frequency licence that is subject to renewal once the initial seven-year term comes to an end.
Satelio IoT Services, headquartered in Germany, received approval for its proposed 491-satellite Internet of Things constellation, although only one satellite has been launched so far.
The licence enables Satelio to roll out IoT connectivity solutions across Nigeria, supporting new use cases in sectors such as agriculture, logistics, and industrial monitoring.
Through these approvals, both operators are positioned to invest in ground facilities, forge local partnerships, and secure enterprise agreements, while expanding Nigeria’s role in the global satellite internet services market.
The decision is consistent with the NCC’s commercial satellite communications guidelines, which aim to attract investment and promote the adoption of next-generation non-geostationary satellite systems.
The licences also follow the NCC’s recent authorisation of a landing permit for Amazon’s Kuiper Systems LLC under its Project Kuiper initiative.
That approval allows Amazon to deploy up to 3,236 non-geostationary low Earth orbit satellites using Ka-band frequencies to provide fixed satellite services, mobile satellite services, and earth stations in motion over the same seven-year timeframe.
The newly licensed providers are entering an already competitive satellite broadband space in Nigeria.
SpaceX’s Starlink, operating as Starlink Internet Service Nigeria Ltd, has emerged as the country’s third-largest internet service provider based on NCC subscriber data for the second quarter of 2025.
Since launching operations in Nigeria in 2023, Starlink has recorded 66,523 subscribers, reflecting strong growth and competitiveness within the nation’s internet service market.
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